Seahawks’ Russell Wilson: NFL’s come a long way on race

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In Super Bowl XLVIII, quarterback Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to a 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos, becoming only the second African-American quarterback to win the Super Bowl — 27 years after Doug Williams led his Washington Redskins to a 42-10 win over the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.

But unlike 1988, when Williams’ victory was lauded as a groundbreaking achievement for racial equality, Wilson’s race wasn’t a big story. That, according to Wilson in a piece he wrote for Sports Illustrated’s MMQB published Wednesday, shows how far the NFL has moved forward with regard to race.

Wilson found the dearth of attention on race illuminating and gratifying, saying he only heard the topic raised once the Seahawks traveled to the White House to be honored by President Barack Obama in May.

“It’s a great story that probably is even greater because America isn’t talking about it,” Wilson wrote (emphasis his). “I knew that only one black quarterback, Doug Williams, had won a Super Bowl before our victory. I know history, and I know football history.”

So how have things moved forward in such a relatively short period of time? According to Wilson, the answer lies in the results-based nature of the league.

“There is more progress to be made by minorities in the NFL, but I’m writing this story because I think that in the short time I’ve been in the league, I see a league and individual teams judging people for what they do,” Wilson wrote, “not what color they are or how tall they are or anything other than what happens on the field.”

To illuminate the point, Wilson points out the unprecedented group of five quarterbacks on the Seahawks roster through OTAs and minicamp. Wilson, Tarvaris Jackson, Terrelle Pryor, B.J. Daniels and former Washington Huskies star Keith Price (who has since been released) — all of whom are African American — referred to themselves as the “Jackson 5,” and stood out to Wilson as an example of how things have changed.

Wilson also wrote about how philosophies like Pete Carroll’s “always compete” mantra open up the door for players from various backgrounds, based solely on their performance. Wilson recalled Carroll’s words to him after the Seahawks drafted him with the No. 75 pick overall in the 2012 draft.

“I will play the best players,” Carroll told him at the time. “If you’re the best quarterback, you will start.”

That kind of thinking now permeates NFL locker rooms, Wilson said, especially the one belonging to the Super Bowl champs.

“I don’t care if (my teammates are) white, black, Christian, Jewish, atheist,” Wilson wrote. “It has no effect how I view them. They’re there for me, I’m there for them. All I want to know is: Are they great teammates? I think we’re all fortunate to have been picked by a team that’s shown over and over that only one thing matters: performance.”